happy father's day

The one who wore a pink polo shirt for days on end when he found out. The first person to hold me; the one who called me a "little pink frog". The one who danced with me in the family room. The one who taught me how to shoot paper plate targets in the backyard. The one whose hand was big enough to completely engulf mine and so he offered an index finger instead when it came time to hold hands crossing the street. The one who flew halfway around the world once, twice, three times! to be with me in London. The man who taught me how to love God, to put Him first and watch the grace unfold in my life. The one who has listened to countless joys and every tear. The man who made sure I knew every day of my life that I am loved beyond all reason and beyond all measure. The man who has sacrificed so much of what he has on this earth to make sure his child never goes without. The father in this life who will do, and has done, everything in his power to make sure his child gets to heaven.

Not enough children know this kind of blessing.

This man has spent the last twenty-six years making sure not a day goes by without telling me how grateful he is that God knew better - Scott Farmer was meant to be a father.

I'm glad God always knows best. 

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

Love you far and above what words can say.

a good day to be born

Happy birthday, Mom!!!

((you & your favorite son... this is still one of my favorite pictures))

And happy birthday, Andrew!!!

((now stop being so beautiful, you're lowing my self esteem))

"you should"

Trolling through my Facebook last night I came back to this photo.

I took this two years ago, when I was still very much up in the air and there was no soft landing in sight. After a long day at work I had needed an escape. I was desperately looking for a hideout from everything that was going on and as I passed by my favorite neighborhood spot, I impulsively pulled off the road for a beer and a little commune with Vonnegut.

When Justin ((ya'll know him as Shamoo)) made the comment that I should be a "professional" it seriously made my whole day, but my reply was exactly what I thought of it at the time.

A dream.

Two years later I really do feel like it's a bit of a dream I've landed in. Just the other day I was talking to my buddy Brett about it and how I still can't quite believe I'm getting paid to take pictures.

All this to say do it. Dream away. 

Hey... You never know. 

while the metzler's away...

Oi!

I'm guest posting for Martha over at A Softer Side of Strong today!

I'm  talking about these here jokers and how ((for some odd reason)) they are my dealbreakers.

...It should be noted though that if and when I die alone, I know who to blame ((I'm looking at you, Dean)) .

recipe | rosemary potato pizza with bleu cheese & arugula

When a man takes a bite of the pizza you've made and says he'd leave his husband and turn straight for you if it meant this pizza for dinner every night, you know you've done something right

That's why I like cooking for my boys ((and their boys)).

I originally made this pizza for a work project to pair with one of our wines and decided after the first bite that I'd probably need to make it at least once a week. Because my arteries don't hate me enough already.

But caution to the wind and such! Pizza for everyone, says I!

And wine. Always wine.

___________

Rosemary Potato Pizza with Bleu Cheese & Arugula

Ingredients

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup red wine

Pinch of brown sugar

½ potato, halved and thinly sliced

½ sweet onion, halved and sliced

6-12 cloves of garlic, peeled and slightly smashed

1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced and divided

Shredded parmesan cheese

Fresh arugula, coarsely chopped

Bleu cheese dressing (smoked bleu cheese, if possible)

Pizza dough (packaged or homemade)

Salt & pepper as needed

Butter as needed (for sautéing)

Directions

1. Prep pizza dough and preheat oven according to package instructions. Spread a hearty layer of bleu cheese dressing across surface of dough, arrange uncooked potato slices on pizza and set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, bring balsamic and wine to a boil and reduce by about half or until liquid thickens slightly. Stir in brown sugar and adjust sweetness to taste. Set aside (it will thicken a little more as it cools).

3. In a medium skillet, heat a bit of butter of medium-high heat and lightly brown onion and garlic cloves, adding a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. As it starts to sizzle, toss in ½ tbsp. freshly minced rosemary and cook about 1 more minute then remove from heat.

4. Add onion and garlic to the pizza making sure at this point the whole surface is covered with potato, onion and garlic. Sprinkle desired amount of shredded parmesan cheese on top along with remaining rosemary. Drizzle about half (or desired amount) of the balsamic-pinot reduction over the surface. Cook in oven until dough is done and cheese is slightly golden and bubbling (about 15-20 minutes or per package instructions from the dough).

5. Once done, remove pizza from oven and drizzle remaining balsamic-wine reduction over the top. Sprinkle coarsely chopped arugula on top and enjoy!

"this is a story about love."

It seems that too often we focus on the bad. 

It's so much easier to believe the negative.

But what good does that do us? Anything? Anything? Bueller?

What if we reoriented ourselves and altered our perspective toward the positive? 

I think we'd be surprised how much good there is in the world.

Can I get an amen?

Have any of you heard about this? While at once heartbreaking and every gut-wrenching emotion you can imagine, look at this as a story of hope...

This South Korean pastor has done something that is changing the lives of his country's children. Seeing too many babies abandoned and left to an unspeakable fate, he decided to climb the mountain before him and save lives. And in doing so, he came to realize this was a mountain he is willing to die on.

By creating a "baby box" for mother's to leave their babies in, he made a safe place for these children to rest while help was on its way. I'm just blown away by this man and this ministry.

((read this short article and be warned - you'll probably cry))

Whatever your views on faith may be, there is no denying this man's love is other worldly. 

This is what it's all about, guys.

This is love.

"Among faith, hope, and love, the best is love."

- Pastor Jong-rak - 

oneonta

it's funny how some places just stick with you. how the times you were open to beauty and magic, they found you. you didn't find them, they found you. and once you've been in one of these places in one of these times, it becomes a part of you. a deep and integral part of who you are. grafting is defined as a portion of living tissue being transplanted from one entity to another. I think that's how beauty and magic work. they're alive and vibrant and they find their way into the most fertile parts of your being; implanted and rooted, they begin to yield their fruit. and you are left forever and undeniably altered. and when you move your hand to touch this world, it will be with an inherited enchantment unique and new. the thing about grafting though, is that it only works when the host is living. so open your eyes to the world around you, open your heart to it's beauty. 

//via Ian Pratt's Instagram \\